One Way to Keep Your Boss From Looking Over Your Shoulder

Tip of the Day

It’s never easy to get work done when your boss is hovering around your desk. In fact, it’s nerve-wracking. But what are you supposed to do? This is your boss, after all, so you can’t just ask him to leave you alone.

It might be that your boss is hanging around because he feels like he doesn’t have enough information about what you’re up to. If that’s the case, you can change the dynamic by being proactive in how and when you keep him up to date on what’s going on.

If your boss has a tendency to stop by unannounced and seems to linger, tell him you’re not ready to have a meaningful discussion and ask if you can update him in the morning. Scheduled meetings over a defined agenda are likely to be shorter than impromptu sessions. When you do sit down, be sure to ask when he needs the next update and schedule a convenient time. Knowing when he’ll receive your next report will put him at ease and dissuade him from looking over your shoulder during the interim.